If your vet has suggested a referral for your pet, you may well be wondering what exactly a veterinary referral hospital is. Let’s take a look at how a vets becomes a referral hospital.

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What is a ‘Veterinary Hospital’?

With so many different terms floating around, it’s important to clarify that a Veterinary Hospital is not the same as a Referral Hospital. So, how does a vet practice become a Veterinary Hospital? 

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) (the governing body) runs a ‘Practice Standards Scheme’ (PSS), which aims to improve the quality of the practice, and achieve a level of consistent standards between practices. General vet practices may choose to be accredited under the scheme. However, it’s an optional scheme, so not all veterinary practices will be accredited under the PSS.

A ‘Veterinary Hospital’ is a general practice which has achieved accreditation as a general practice, and then has gained extra accreditation to achieve the status of ‘Veterinary Hospital’. The extra requirements to be classified as a ‘Veterinary Hospital’ include having vet nurses on site, and vet surgeons available, 24 hours a day. Veterinary Hospitals often have extra equipment compared with general practices. 

What is a ‘Referral Hospital’?

‘Referral Hospitals’ are positioned as being another level up. ‘Referral Hospitals’ offer more advanced equipment, and the veterinary surgeons are usually specialists or advanced practitioners. Essentially, a Referral Hospital  specialises in taking complex cases that are referred by other vets. In reality, there is no technical difference between a Hospital and a Referral Hospital; it’s more a question of what sort of cases they typically see (and how they advertise!). 

Your pet may be referred to a Referral Hospital for a diagnosis if their case is particularly complex or unusual, or for specialist treatment or surgery. Your usual vet may advise that your pet needs more advanced imaging than they can offer, or that they need to see a specialist in a particular subject. Referral hospitals employ veterinary surgeons who are specialists in a particular subject, such as cardiology or surgery. This is similar to your GP referring you to a human consultant. 

What‘s the difference between a ‘referral’ and a ‘second opinion’?

A referral usually happens for the diagnosis, surgery, procedure or treatment of a complex case. In a referral, your pet would usually be seen by a specialist in a particular subject. Your usual vet would need to refer you to a referral centre.

A second opinion is purely to seek the view, or opinion, of another veterinary surgeon. You can choose to seek a second opinion from a different vet within the same veterinary practice, or from a different practice.

In both cases, your pet’s care should then continue with your usual vet (unless you opt to change practices). 

How do I get my pet referred?

Your vet may decide that they do not have the level of expertise, or the equipment required, to treat your pet to the highest standard. They may suggest referral. Or you may decide yourself that you would like to see a vet with expertise in a particular subject; in which case you can request a referral from your vet. You cannot arrange an appointment at a Referral Hospital yourself. 

Once you have decided which referral hospital, centre or specialist you would like your pet to visit, your usual vet will arrange the referral. This involves writing a case summary and sending your pet’s clinical history and any test results to the referral vet. Once the referral vets have looked over the case, the referral centre would usually then contact you to arrange an appointment.

After your pet has been treated, the referral vet would send a report back to your usual vet, with a treatment plan. Depending on how your pet is doing, they may need to attend follow ups at the referral hospital. Or they may be cared for by your usual vet, under the guidance of the specialist team.

Summary

Just like doctors can’t be an expert in everything, veterinary surgeons all have varying levels of qualification and experience. An important part of being a GP vet is knowing when to refer a pet to a specialist with greater expertise in the area needed, and/or more specialist equipment. This is where ‘Referral Hospitals’ come in.

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